Gunman Attempts to Assassinate Bulgarian Politician (Video)

Posted on Jan 20, 2013

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An assassination attempt on the life of Bulgarian opposition leader Ahmed Dogan failed after the suspect’s weapon misfired. Dramatic video shows a man lunging at Dogan, the leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), and pointing a gun at his head while Dogan is addressing a crowd onstage.

The misfire allowed the leader of the Turkish ethnic party to swat the gun away as security guards rushed the stage.

The suspect has been identified as 25-year-old Oktai Enimehmedov.

Lyutvi Mestan, the man who is expected to replace Dogan, said he believed “the true reason” for the assassination attempt “was the language of hatred and confrontation.”

The Huffington Post:

Enimehmedov was also reportedly beaten by delegates and other officials in the crowd, according to Noinite, a Sofia news agency. “He was not in a good shape, there was blood on his face,” said Prosecutor Nikolay Kokinov. “He told us his version about what motivated him, but I will not discuss it at this point.”

Along with the gas pistol, Enimehmedov was also armed with two knives. The Bourgas native has two prior convictions, including causing bodily harm in 2006 and drug possession in 2010, the Sofia Globe reports.

As for the 58-year-old Turkish official, he is doing fine. “Ahmed Dogan is in good health. Everything is under control,” MRF official Ceyhan Ibryamov told Reuters on Saturday.